Morris writes that the president used polls to find out which values
were important to Americans and then adapt his program to those values.
That comes awfully close to pandering. Pandering is one way to win votes.
But why is the White House still relying on polls now that the election is
over? Because public support is the president's principal source of power
-- especially when the other party controls Congress.
If a president's approval ratings are high, as Clinton's are right now,
he has clout. But if his approval ratings drop, he loses clout. Even
members of his own party will abandon him as Republicans did George Bush
and as Democrats did Bill Clinton in 1994.
Should the president worry about his popularity instead of worrying
about his legacy? No. He would worry about his popularity in order to
secure his legacy.
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